Even Keel
by klutzysunshine
Summary: Lourdes and Jared approach Michaela with a solution that will make them all happy.


Shockingly - to her husband and best friend, that is - Lourdes was the one who came up with a solution and approached them both about her idea. Michaela's mouth dropped open. "What the fuck, Lourdes? Do you even know what you're saying right now?"

Lourdes rolled her eyes. "I've done my research, Michaela, so yes, I do know what I'm saying. We both love Jared. Jared and I love you. You love the two of us. We honestly should have thought of this sooner but got caught up in angst instead."

"I love you but I'm not in love with you," Michaela lied. Lourdes clearly didn't buy it but she didn't know what else to do.

"Michaela Stone, did you forget how long I've known you?" she chided.

Tired of their banter, Jared stepped up. "We can all forget about it and go back to normal if you're not on board but do you really want to? We've been running on fumes and dealing with awkwardness for months."

Michaela glared at them both. "Am I really the last to know?"

"Not the point right now but yes. I wanted to see how Jared felt first before we talked to you." It was very important to Lourdes that they didn't cause her any further pain - she had been through enough.

"Can I at least think about this first?" Michaela sat down on the couch, too shocked to go elsewhere. She didn't understand why either of them were doing this - why did they love her, the hot fucking mess of a person she was? If everything had gone as planned, she and Jared likely would have been divorced by now (if they had even made it through the engagement without calling it off in the first place).

"Of course. Take all the time you need," Jared replied before he headed towards the kitchen, Lourdes on his heels.

"She probably needs a little more time than us eating," Lourdes hissed at her husband.

He cocked his head and stared at her. "Really? We know Michaela. She's going to come up with excuses first so we need to be ready to talk her off the ledge. But if all goes as planned, she'll be in all within the next three hours."

She laughed at his assessment. "We'll see."

"You guys do know I can hear you, right?" Michaela called, scoffing at their supposedly hushed conversation.

"You're supposed to!" Lourdes lied with a giggle. She turned back to Jared. "It's a good sign she's calling us on our shit. She wouldn't be if she was just trying to figure out excuses." She had a good feeling about the outcome of this conversation and knew Jared did too.

Jared kissed his wife and then the two of them sat down to eat leftover pizza as they waited for Michaela to figure her shit out. As expected, she approached them two hours later. "You guys are sure about this?"

"Absolutely!" Lourdes shouted immediately and immediately winced when she realized how loud she had said it.

"One hundred percent sure." Jared reassured her.

Michaela inhaled and exhaled before tearing up. "I'm sorry about the crying - been a little bit more of a mess than usual. I am in. Just please don't hurt me again. I can't handle another loss."

"We won't, Michaela." Lourdes blinked back tears and pulled her in for a hug before making the first move and kissing her. After pulling away, she pushed Jared towards Michaela and watched as the two of them embraced and kiss. Afterwards, she kissed Jared just to show Michaela everything was fine.

And then Jared pulled something out of his pocket that completely caught Michaela off guard. "Wear my ring?" he asked her.

"But we can't get married," she forced out, now completely in shock.

"Think of it as a way to seal the deal between the three of us and make sure you know we're not going anywhere," chimed in Lourdes, who had thought of it the night before.

"Okay. Yes! I will wear the ring." Michaela cried-laughed as he slid the ring up her finger and admired it since the first time she returned it to him.

For the first time since she got on the plane - actually no, for the first time since the car accident that changed everything - Michaela felt like she was on an even keel. She was with two people who clearly loved her and it felt right, like she actually deserved this. Michaela wouldn't have to be lonely anymore, not when she had Jared and Lourdes (her family too) with her.


End file.
